Echo Bay Marina at Lake Mead in southern Nevada was shut down by the National Park Service in 2013. The marina was closed after it went to bid and no business was interested in operating it, in part because of Lake Mead’s rapidly falling water levels, the NPS said in a statement issued at the time of closure.
The water level of the man-made reservoir - created during the construction of the Hoover Dam in the 1930s - has since fallen to an all-time low thanks to years of severe drought and very little rain. A white "bathtub ring" of mineral deposits surrounding it provides a visual reminder of how much the water has fallen... and where it once was.
Now, nature is reclaiming this abandoned Nevada spot. For years the Echo Bay Resort in Lake Mead sat abandoned, but demolition officially began in the fall of 2022.
This was Echo Bay Marina just a month prior to closure:
Echo Bay Marina was located in the Overton Arm of Lake Mead, the largest man-made reservoir in the United States. In its heyday, the marina operated services including a 365-slip marina, fuel dock, small boat rental, retail, land-based fuel, dry boat storage, small boat repair, restaurant, and motel.
This was Echo Bay Marina as of July 2016:
A glimpse at Echo Bay Marina totally overgrown with desert plants and weeds brings to mind a Nevada ghost town. It's crazy to think that just three years before this footage was taken, Echo Bay Marina was filled with people and boats, a bustling place teeming with activity. Now the closest place to gas up is 30 miles away at Calville Bay, and people rarely stop here. It is a hollow shell of what it once was, and it offers an eerie perspective into our future should the droughts continue to worsen.
The above video by YouTuber Terje Riisnaes shows what this fascinating old place looked like as of July 2016. Is Echo Bay abandoned? Not completely. Lake Mead remains a popular recreational attraction in southern Nevada despite the falling water levels. Tons of people flock here year-round to go boating, swimming, fishing, and hiking, and we can't blame them: the lake is beautiful, even if its current water levels are a little depressing.
Check out the Echo Bay Lake Mead resort and marina as it stands in 2022 in this video from Vegas Tech:
Have you ever been to the Echo Bay Resort in Lake Mead? The landscape sure has changed, hasn't it? Share your stories of this iconic resort that has seen better days.
If you can't get enough of Nevada's eeriest abandoned places, hop in the car, or rent an RV from RVShare and head out on an abandoned places in Nevada road trip.
Subscribe to our newsletter
Get the latest updates and news
Thank you for subscribing!
